1. Field of The Invention
Applicant's invention relates to dental instruments.
2. Background Information
Forceps are the instruments used by dentists to extract teeth and dental appliances. Forceps slippage is a common problem among dentists and dental specialists.
Slippage of teeth and dental appliances from their respective dental instruments can occur in all of the following situations: (1) removal of short-rooted, bell-shaped teeth; (2) removal of temporary crowns; (3) removal of orthodontic brackets; and (4) removal of primary teeth.
When an extracted tooth or dental appliance slips from a forceps' beaks, swallowing or aspirating the tooth or appliance can occur. This can translate into in potentially life-threatening medical situation.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a problem of particular concern is the difficulty of grasping (gripping) primary or baby teeth 110. In most instances, primary teeth 110 have resorbed (dissolved, non-existent) roots leaving the crown portion of the tooth loosely connected to a gum tissue ridge 112. During extraction of primary teeth 112 using forceps 118, slippage of the forceps tip 116 below the apical (bottom) edge 114 of the tooth 112 is common. With further squeezing of the handle of the forceps 118, the direction of motion of the tooth 112 is in an occlusal or incisal direction (a direction up and away from the gums.) The tooth 112 then falls out the sides of the forceps beaks and into the mouth of the patient. Such teeth 112 also have a tendency to "pop" off of the forceps beaks 116 and fly surprisingly long distances.
Forceps are not presently well enough designed with respect to size or configuration to allow for such slippage problems while maintaining control of an extracted tooth or dental appliance. This is because current forceps design is limited to a very small number of sizes and tip (beak) contours. Such a "one-size-fits all" approach by the dental instrument industry yields forceps which do not adequately grasp teeth and dental appliances with their widely varying sizes and shapes.
The cost to dental instrument companies and practitioners for respectively making and purchasing an adequate array of differently sized and shaped forceps for reducing the likelihood of slippage is prohibitive. Regardless of the cost, such an investment would far from completely eliminate the chance that loose, extracted teeth and dental appliances will pose the above-described dangers to patients.
Accordingly, any practical approach to the problem of forceps slippage is one which seeks to mitigate the potential complications from forceps slippage, rather than unrealistically trying to avoid slippage altogether.
To date, no known dental instrument reflects such an approach. The phenomena of forceps slippage obviously presents health risks to patients, particularly pedodontic patients who a not likely able to respond to instructions in properly dealing with the occurrence. In addition, however, the practitioner is presented with potential legal risks. Despite the best of skills and caution, injury to a child from a swallowed or aspirated tooth will almost certainly give rise to a lawsuit (or at least an expensive and time-consuming out-of-court settlement). Accordingly, it is imperative that the problem of loose extracted teeth and dental appliances be addressed at once.